Liner for an insulated container

ABSTRACT

A removable container liner for a rigid insulating container includes a bottom portion and a wall portion formed as a single unitary body. The body may be composed of a stain resistant and odor resistant plastic. The liner may be configured to be used within an insulated container such as a cooler or water jug.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

It is known in the art to provide rigid container liners that may beused, for example, for storage and insulation of content. In addition,it is known in the art to provide a rigid liner that offers structure,support and waterproofing qualities to a corresponding soft, flexiblecontainer. An example of such a liner is disclosed in Melk, U.S. Pat.No. 5,403,095. Liners are generally used in many kinds of containers.Containers that are intended to hold food or liquids, however, generallydo not have a liner included or installed. Given that some containerssuch as coolers are too large to completely fit inside a typical kitchensink or bathroom sink, adequately cleaning the interior of thecontainers can be quite difficult and time-consuming. In addition, thecontainers, which are often composed of a plastic, may becomepermanently stained or retain odors resulting from the food or liquidsthey are used to hold, caused, for instance, by acids contained withinthe food or liquid. Also, liquid containers in which water is stored foran extended length of time may impart a “stale” taste to the water, thusruining the flavor of the water.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A liner may generally have a bottom portion, a wall portion, a walledge, and an opening formed by the wall edge, through which content suchas food or liquid may be deposited and stored within the liner. Thedimensions of the bottom portion and the wall portion may be designedsuch that the liner fits within a rigid insulated container and is alsoremovable from the container. The shape of the liner may precisely mimicthe contours of the interior surface of the insulated container, or itmay also be slightly smaller. For instance, the wall edge of the linermay be aligned with a side edge of the rigid insulating container whenthe liner is fully inserted.

Materials from which the liner may be composed may include athermoplastic material, a polycarbonate such as Stain Shield®, or apolyethylene terephthalate. The material used may be dishwasher-safe andmay resist stain and odor caused by food or liquid.

In general, an insulated container liner in accordance with theteachings of the disclosure is removable from a container, resistant tostains and odors caused by common household elements, and provides foreasier, faster cleaning. In addition, the liner may also bedishwasher-safe. The insulated container liner is preferably used toline personal insulated coolers and water jugs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a container liner and an insulatedcontainer within which the container liner is disposed;

FIG. 2 depicts a side view of the container liner;

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the container liner;

FIG. 4 depicts a front view of the container liner; and

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a container liner having acylindrical shape and an insulated container for the storage of liquidswithin which the container liner is disposed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, a liner 10 is disclosed having arectangular prismatic shape. The liner 10 includes a bottom portion 20,a bottom peripheral edge 60, side walls 30, and an upper wall edge 40.In particular, the upper wall edge 40 is disposed along the top of theside walls 30 and bounds an opening 50 configured to receive contenttherein.

A rigid insulating container 100, as shown in FIG. 1, is configured toreceive the liner 10 and may have, for example, a rectangular box shape.The rigid insulating container 100 has an opening edge 110 and a bottomsurface 120. As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion of the liner 10 into therigid insulating container 100 commences as the liner 10 is lowered withthe bottom portion 20 facing downward until a bottom peripheral edge 60of the liner 10 is level with the opening edge 110 of the rigidinsulating container 100. The liner 10 may then be lowered into therecess 140 of the rigid insulating container 100, until the bottomportion 20 of the liner 10 rests on a bottom surface 120 of the rigidinsulating container 100.

The dimensions of liner 10 should preferably match the contours of theinterior of the rigid insulating container 100. More particularly, thebottom portion 20 and the side walls 30 of the liner 10 may remain incontact with the bottom surface 120 and side wall surfaces 130 of therigid insulating container 100 when the liner 10 is fully inserted.Content stored in the rigid insulating container 100 may be placedwithin the liner 10 through the opening 30.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the upper wall edge 40 of the liner 10 may bealigned with the opening edge 110 of the rigid insulating container 100such that when the liner 10 is fully inserted, the upper wall edge 40may be positioned either coincident with or below the opening edge 110.The upper wall edge 40 may be disposed in such a manner if the height ofthe side walls 30 is equal to or less than the height of the side wallsurfaces 130 of the rigid insulating container 100. Aligning the upperwall edge 40 coincident with or below the opening edge 110 when theliner 10 is fully inserted into the rigid insulating container 100, maybe necessary in order to permit a lid 150 or other cover for the rigidinsulating container 100 to properly close and be secured. If desired,the liner 10 may include a flange 70, as shown in FIG. 5, that mayextend across a portion of the opening edge 110 when the liner 10 isfully inserted into the rigid insulating container 100. A space may beprovided between the bottom portion 20 of the liner 10 and the bottomsurface 120 of the rigid insulating container 100, so that a layer ofice may be contained in the space below the liner 10.

Alternatively, FIG. 6 shows a container liner 200 having a cylindricalshape. The cylindrical liner 200 is configured to line a cylindricalcontainer 300 intended to hold liquids such as water or soup. Inparticular, the cylindrical liner 200 has a bottom surface 210, a sidewall 220, an upper wall edge 230, a bottom edge 240, and a circularopening 250 bounded by the upper wall edge 230. The dimensions of thecylindrical liner 200 should preferably match the contours of theinterior of the cylindrical container 300. More particularly, thecircumference of the cylindrical liner 200 should be slightly less than,but approximately equal to, the circumference of an inner wall surface310 of the cylindrical container 300. This permits the side wall 220 ofthe cylindrical liner 200 to remain adjacent to the inner wall surface310 of the cylindrical container 300 and securely rest against the wallsurface 310. The wall edge 230 of the cylindrical liner 200 may becoincident with or slightly below an opening edge 320 of the cylindricalcontainer 300. If desired, the cylindrical liner 200 may include aflange (not shown) that may extend across a portion of the opening edge110 when the liner 10 is fully inserted into the cylindrical container300. A space may be provided between the bottom surface 210 of thecylindrical liner 200 and a bottom surface 330 of the cylindricalcontainer 300, so that a layer of ice may be contained in the spacebelow the cylindrical liner 200.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, the liner 10 and the cylindrical liner 200 mayeach be a single unitary body and can be formed using methods such as aninjection molding process, a blow molding process, and a one-step blowmolding process. The liner 10 may be composed of a thermoplastic such asStain Shield™, a polycarbonate, or a polyethylene terephthalate, orother material configured to resist stain and odor caused by food andliquids. In addition, the liner 10 and/or the cylindrical liner 200 maybe composed of a material configured to be safely cleaned in adishwasher as well as by hand.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be apparent to those skilled in theart. For example, the disclosure is applicable to liners composed ofmaterials other than plastic, such as, for example, metal.

1. A removable lining element configured to fit within a rigid insulatedcontainer, the lining element comprising: a bottom portion; a wallportion attached to the bottom portion; a wall edge formed by an edge ofthe wall portion; and a mouth for receiving content therein, the mouthbeing substantially coincident with an opening of the rigid insulatedcontainer.
 2. The removable lining element of claim 1 comprising a rigidunitary body.
 3. The removable lining element of claim 1 shaped tosubstantially follow the contours of an interior surface of the rigidinsulated container.
 4. The removable lining element of claim 1configured for resisting stains and odors.
 5. The removable liningelement of claim 1 comprising a wall portion integrally formed to thebottom portion.
 6. The removable lining element according to claim 1,wherein the removable lining element is composed of a thermoplasticmaterial.
 7. The removable lining element of claim 6, wherein thethermoplastic material is a Stain Shield™ polymer.
 8. The removablelining element of claim 6, wherein the thermoplastic material is apolycarbonate.
 9. The removable lining element of claim 6, wherein thethermoplastic material is a polyethylene terephthalate.
 10. Theremovable lining element according to claim 1 being formed by aninjection molding process.
 11. The removable lining element according toclaim 1 being formed by a blow molding process.
 12. The removable liningelement according to claim 1 being formed by a one-step blow moldingprocess.
 13. The removable lining element according to claim 1 whereinthe bottom portion and the wall portion together define a rectangularprismatic cavity.
 14. The removable lining element according to claim 1wherein the bottom portion and the wall portion together define acylindrical cavity.
 15. The removable lining element according to claim1 wherein the bottom portion and the wall portion together define atriangular prismatic cavity.
 16. The removable lining element accordingto claim 1 wherein the bottom portion and the wall portion togetherdefine a trapezoidal prismatic cavity.
 17. The removable lining elementaccording to claim 1 wherein the rigid insulated container is a cooler.18. The removable lining element according to claim 1 wherein the rigidinsulated container is a portable liquid container.
 19. A method ofresisting stain and odor within a rigid insulated container having aninterior surface, comprising: providing a removable rigid liningelement; and preventing content from contacting the interior surface ofthe rigid insulated container.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein theremovable rigid lining element is composed of a thermoplastic material.